Phonographic driving mechanism.



C. F. ROBERTS PHONOGRAPHIC DRIVING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.28. 1916.

1,265, 1 15. Patented May 7,1918.

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r. nomme, on CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AssIoNonfro oHIcaao METAL rnonuc'rs co1, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION on ILLINOIS.

PHONOGMPHIC DRIVING MECHANISM.

Specinoation of Letteralatent.;

atented May 7, 19.18.

Mumien mea August 2s, isis. p serialxainnva.

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My invention relates to honogra driving mechanisms and has or one o lts objects .the elimination of the usual gearing employed for dri the record turn table to produce an entire y noiseless device `and to' provide driving whlch needs comparatively little lubrication for Operation.

.A-further object of the device is to drive or oscillation of the same is eliminated an to produce a `construction such that the turn table will substantially` instantly after startingof the motor attain a speed whichis necessary' to properly' reproduce the selection on -the record.'

A furthervobje'ct of the invention 1s the provision of a combined driving wheel and y wheel associated `with the centrifugal governor .for causing the turn table torevolve at an uniiuctuatin rate ofspeed.

A further object of t e invention is the rovision of novel bearin mechanism f or iournaling the operating s afts of the drivin mechanism. To accomplish the above obJects I preferably em loy an electric motor secured to the underslde of the turn table board. This motor is frictionally connected with a centrifugal device, which device contains a shaft extending through the motor board and provided on the vside of the board opposite. the motor with a friction wheel arranged to engage the periphery of the turn table. Mechanism is employed for mov its axis of rotation and in a direction to normall maintain its periphery in frictional 'ving engagement wlth the frlction wheel driven y the electric motor.

These and other objects of my invention will be more clearly brought out -in conthe turn table in a plane normal to nection with-.the accompanying 'drawings in which- Fig. 2 isa side elevational view of Fig. 1,

some of the parts being broken away to more clearly illustrate their'construction; Fig. 3 is. a detailed view of the combined drivin wheel and fiy wheel and the imre 1 is a bottom yview of the motor and the driving .mechanism carried prove bearing for journaling the iiy wheel shaft; and

Figs. 4 and 5 are detail 'sectional views of two of the frictional drivin wheels formina part of the apparatus o my invention. imilar characters of reference refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The usual motor board to which the driving mechanism is attached is illustrated at 4, the improved driving mechanism ofmy invention at 5 on the underside of the board and the record turn table at 6 on the upperside of the board. The driving mechanism 5 consists of a supporting plate 7 `attached by means of screws 8 to the undersideof the board 4. An electric motor 9 is supported from the supporting plate 7 bymeans of the screws and nuts illustrated at 10. 11 illustrates the operating shaft of the electric motor which shaft carries at one end a beveled friction wheel 12. This friction wheel pliable materia convenientl sponge rubber, but which ma be of elt or leather or a combination o any two or all of these materials, and is adapted to have driving "connection with the metallic or ber beveled iy wheel 13 mounted on the centrifugal shaft 14. The shaft 14 is journal'ed as most clearly illustrated in Fi 2 in the supporting member 7 and the p te 14 attached to .lamin 12b and are. clampedby a plu' rality of pins o'rly screws 12". The several laminae 12b are desirably of pliable leather such as sheepskin andthe lamin12 are of sponge rubber, although lamin 12 may be of soft felt if desired; "I find that the oombination of the leather laminas 12b with intervening laminas of one of the more resilient materials mentioned affords an excellent wheel for my present purpose.

The upper end of the shaft 14 extends through the motor board 4 and is provided at its upper extremity with a friction wheel 15, which, like the friction wheel 12, carries l an engaging surface composed of pliable material. The wheel 15 is desirably of the construction shown in Fig. 5 wherein laminae b and 15c of sheepskin and sponge rubber respectively are clamped between disks 15 by securing devices 15d. Felt may be sub- 15`stituted for the sponge rubber if desired.

The shaft 14 is arranged to operate the centrifugal mechanism 16, operatively asso ciated with the disk 17, arranged when moved upwardly by the centrifugal device to engage the brake shoe 18. The brake shoe l 18 is controlled in the usual manner by the lever 19 pivoted at 20 to the support 7, the end. of the lever opposite the brake shoe being operated through a finger lpiece 21, positioned so as to be conveniently manually operated.

The turn table 6 is mounted on the shaft 22 and may be friotionally connected therewith or maybe provided with the slot 23 arranged to straddle the pins 24 carried by .l the shaft 22 and thus provide a positive co-nnection between the shaft and turn table. The shaft 22 extends downwardly and is journaled in the lever arm 25 in turn piv- 85 oted at 26 for horizontal movement `upon the supporting plate 7. The shaft 22 as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 extends through a relatively large aperture 27 provided in the motor board 4 to permit the shaft 22 to have horizontal movement relative to the board.

The turn table 6 is provided with the downwardly extending iange 28, the inside face of which is arranged to frictionally engage the driving wheel 15. To maintain constantly a driving connection between the ange 28 and the driving wheel 15 a tension spring 29 is interposed between one end of the lever 25 and the supporting member 7, the tendency of the spring bein to rotate the lever 25 in a clockwise irection (Fig. 1). 1t will thus be seen that due to the tendency to rotate the lever 25 and thus the shaft 22 and turn table 6 the flange 28 is always held in-frictional contact with the driving wheel 15.

The bearing for journaling the lower end of lthe centriugal shaf-t14 and of the iy wheel 13 is illustrated in Fig. 3, and con- 80 sists of a projection 30 formed integral with the Shaft 14, resting on the ball 30 carried in the recess 31 of the adjustable screw 32. B operatin the screw 32 the bearing may e adjusted and any lost motion present eliminated. The screw may be held in the desired position by tightening the locking nut 32. The lower end of the shaft 22 is provided with a bearing comprising an adjustable screw 33, which takes the weight of the shaft, the turn table, the record, and in some instances the phonographic reproducer.

l prefer to employ an electric motor which is adaptable to either direct or alternating current, and to a'ord the necessary electri- 75 cal connections for the available current the switching mechanism 34 is provided on the underside of the motor board 4. When the device is installed this switch34 is "set to provide the necessary electrical connections 30 for the available current and ordinarily is not used after such setting. yTocontrol the operation of the motor a second electrical switch is provided at 34 mounted on the underside of the motor board 4`and cong5 taining finger pieces 35 extending through the motor board. i

By the provision of the mechanism described it will be observed that constant lu brication of the parts is eliminated, lthe riction wheels 12 and 13 requiring no lubrication and the bearing mechanism illustrated in Fig. 3 very little, if any.l Attention is also directed to the 'tact that due to the method of driving the turn table at its e5 periphery, wabbling or oscillation of the turn table is prevented, even it 'thereexistss a loose connection between the turn table and the shaft 22, which would otherwisepermit such wabbling. i

Due to the fact that the driving mechanism is connected with the turn table at its periphery the turn table may substantially instantly be given the necessary speed of rotation. By the provision of the fly Wheel 13 which is mounted on the driving shaft 14 the turn table, and thus the record, is driven at a unii'orm rate of speed which, of course, is necessary in the proper reproduction of the selection.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire Ito secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a phonograph. the combination ot' a driving motor, a friction driving wheel driven thereby, a record turn table having frictional engagement with said wheel to be driven thereby, a shaft for said turn table movable in a plane normal to the axis of its rotation and spring means tending to move the shaft and thus the turn 'table in a direction to provide a rictional driving connection between the turn table and friction wheel.

2. A phonograph including a driving inotor, a friction driving wheel driven thereby, a record turn table shaft `movable in a direction normal to its axis, a driven wheel mounted on the shaft, said wheel having rictional engagement with said driving 130 and thus the driven wheel in a direction to` provide a frictional driving connection between the wheels.

3. A phonographic driving mechanism comprising a motor board, a driving motor mounted on one side ofk said board, a record turn table positioned on the other side thereof, a shaft for said turn table extending through an aperture in the board, a bearing for said shaft disposed on the side of said board opposite the turn table, said turn table being provided with a downwardly extending flange around its periphery, a friction wheel driven by said motor and disposed under the turn table against 'the inner face of said flange, and means tending to move the said bearing and thus the shaft and turn table in a direction to provide a frictionalY driving connection between the turn table and friction wheel.

4. .In a phonograph the combination of an electric motor, a friction wheel driven thereby, a record turn table provided with a downwardly extending fiange around its periphery, the inside face of said flange having engagement with said friction wheel and means tending to move the axis of rotation of said'turn table away from said friction wheel to provide a frictional driving connection between the turn table and lfriction wheel. v

5. In a phonograph the combination of an electric motor, a friction wheel driven thereby, a record turn table provided with a downwardly extending flange around its periphery, the inside face of said fiange having engagement with said friction wheel and a spring tending to move the center of said turn table away from said friction wheel to provide a frictional driving connection be` tween the turn table and friction wheel.

6. A phonograph comprising a motor board, an electric motor supported from the underside thereof and having its operating shaft lying in a plane substantially parallel with the board, a second shaft extending through the board and driven by said motor, a friction wheelmounted on the end of said second shaft which terminates on the upperside of the board, a record tu'rn table on the upperside of the board, a shaft therefor journaled in a movable arm, said turn table being provided with a downwardly extending flange around its periphery, the

inside face of which engaging the said friction wheel, and means tending to move the movable arm and thus the turn table in a direction to provide a frictional driving connection between the turn table and wheel.

7. A phonograph comprising a motor board, an electric motor supported from the underside thereof and having its operating shaft lying in a plane substantially parallel with the board, a second' shaft extending through the board and driven by said motor, a friction wheel mounted on the end of said second shaft which terminates on the upperside of the board, speed governor mechanism for said shaft, a record turn table on the upperside of the board, a shaft therefor journaled in a movable arm, said turn table being provided with a downwardly extending flange around its periphery, the inside face of which engaging the said friction wheel, and means 'tending to move the movable arm and thus the turn table in a direction to provide a frictional driving connection between the turn table and wheel.

8. A phonograph comprising a' motor board, an electric motor supported from the underside thereof and having its operating shaft lying ina plane substantially parallel with the board, a second shaft extending through the board and driven by said motor, a friction wheel mounted on the end of said second shaft which terminates on the upperside of the board, a Hy wheel mounted on said shaft, a record turn table on the upperside of the board, a shaft therefor journaled in a movable arm, said turn table being provided with a downwardly extending flange around its periphery, the inside face of which engaging the said friction wheel, and means tending to move the movable arm and thus the turn table in a direction to providea frictional driving connection between the turn table and wheel.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my'name this 24thv .day of August, A. D. 19 6.

CHARLES F. ROBERTS.

Witnesses:

ALBIN C. Amma, A. G. McCALmn. 

